"Shut up, you losers! That guy ran off! After him!"
Only after the woman shouted did the others snap out of it.
"Oh, fuck! When I catch you, I'm going to have so much fun with you!"
"After him!"
They immediately chased after Mark.
Within a minute, they had lost him completely.
Inside a bar on the street corner, Mark peeked out and watched them leave before finally breathing a sigh of relief.
"Whew... Wait, they're the ones who should be running," Mark realized.
Just then, a woman in a bikini came up to his table with a warm smile. "What would you like to drink, sir?"
She handed Mark a drinks menu.
Mark glanced around and found the bar fairly quiet, with tasteful music and decor.
He took one look at the menu, his eyes widening in shock, and shot to his feet.
"Sorry, wrong place."
He was about to leave when the woman reached out to stop him.
She smiled. "Someone will cover your bill, sir."
As she spoke, she looked toward the second floor.
Mark followed her gaze and saw a familiar figure waving at him.
"Hey, buddy! We meet again." Wade raised his glass in greeting.
The corners of Mark's mouth lifted.
Just as I thought. This guy must be a Spider-Man fan.
But a moment later, a small mountain appeared behind Wade.
That bulky frame and unmistakable bald head immediately brought someone to Mark's mind.
His target this time: Kingpin!
Are those two working together?
Mark frowned.
He had just told Wade that he was going to tear Hell's Kitchen apart.
And the guy had turned around and sold him out.
You bastard. I'm definitely going to bad-mouth you to Peter.
Since his intentions had been exposed, Mark stopped hesitating.
He activated his skill and leaped onto the second floor.
"Wade Wilson, I'll remember this." He glared at him.
Wade shrugged. "Sorry, Mr. Kingpin hired me this time. He's paying me way too much. If I didn't tell him about this, I'd look unprofessional."
"Asshole."
"Thanks for the compliment."
"Motherfucker."
After cursing, Mark turned to Kingpin, who was dressed in a white suit.
"I'm here to kill you."
He slowly clenched his fists, which shimmered with holy light.
A faint smile appeared on Kingpin's impassive face.
Completely unconcerned by Mark's hostility, he turned and sat on a specially made, oversized sofa.
Resting both hands on a cane set with a green gemstone, he said in a deep, rumbling voice:
"Let's talk, kid."
Wade tried to smooth things over for Mark. "Yeah, have a chat. He's loaded."
"Get lost."
Mark shoved Wade aside without hesitation.
He looked Kingpin straight in the eye. "I hear you can take out Spider-Man with one punch."
Kingpin looked a little surprised. "Who told you that?"
"That's how your character is written."
"Heh. You're a funny kid."
Kingpin didn't understand what Mark meant and simply took it as a child's joke.
He raised a hand and had a server bring them drinks.
"I don't have any superpowers, so I don't have the strength to defeat Spider-Man either," he said with a smile.
"That's a relief."
Mark glanced at the glass the server offered him.
This must be expensive.
He accepted Kingpin's hospitality without hesitation.
"Have you decided how you want to die before I finish this drink?" He remained just as hostile toward Kingpin.
Kingpin chuckled. "Why do you want to kill me?"
"You bullied Ben and May."
"Ah, they're your family. I understand."
Kingpin shrugged. "Then I can apologize."
Mark: "..."
"Are you really Kingpin?" His eyes were full of suspicion.
Could this guy be a stand-in?
Kingpin nodded. "No one would dare impersonate me here. You should know that."
"Then why..."
Mark thought for a moment. "You're being so reasonable that I'm starting to feel awkward."
He wasn't some superhero. If Ben and May hadn't been bullied, he wouldn't have risked coming to Hell's Kitchen.
Much less confronted Kingpin.
Although he believed he had the strength to defeat him.
After all, not every universe's Kingpin could take out Spider-Man with one punch.
Mark didn't believe his luck could be that bad.
But now, he found that his luck seemed almost too good.
This universe's Kingpin was a little different.
He began to take the supervillain before him seriously.
"Pay ten times the damages, and I'll forgive you," Mark said.
Kingpin nodded. "No problem."
Although he didn't know why, he agreed anyway.
It had been a long time since he had paid attention to his subordinates' businesses.
Seeing Kingpin agree so readily only made Mark feel that something was off.
"What do you want me to do?" he asked bluntly.
Kingpin didn't beat around the bush either.
"I hear you know Spider-Man."
"I don't."
"Mr. Wilson says you do."
"I lied to him."
Mark glanced at Wade and couldn't resist calling him an "asshole" again.
Wade sat with his legs crossed, savoring the whiskey in his glass, completely unconcerned by Mark's contempt.
Only money was real. Nothing else mattered.
Kingpin merely smiled at Mark's answer.
"Even better."
He looked toward the shadows behind him and waved a hand. "You may leave."
At his words, several shadowy figures flickered and instantly vanished from the room.
Only then did Mark notice them.
As expected of the king of the underworld. His men are pretty interesting.
His original plan had been to fight if he could win and run if he couldn't.
He had plenty of confidence in his escape skill.
But now, it seemed he wouldn't need it.
"What's better?" he asked.
"You have no connection to Spider-Man. That's a good thing," Kingpin said.
"After all, I hated Spider-Man from the very first moment I saw him on television.
"I hate his self-righteousness. He thinks he's a hero, but he's really just a pathetic wretch, an unknown evil entity."
He looked at Mark. "But I liked you the moment I saw you. Do you know why?"
Mark immediately grew wary.
Realizing that Mark had misunderstood, Kingpin explained, "You remind me of my son. When he was alive, he liked dressing up as a cowboy too."
Mark: "!!!!"
This is the Demon Hunter Outfit!
He didn't explain and simply let out a relieved breath.
"That's an absurd reason," he said.
Kingpin nodded. "A little, yes. But if he were still alive, he'd be about your age."
Looking at Mark's young face, he took an old photograph from inside his jacket.
The little boy in the photograph was adorable, and his features bore some resemblance to Mark's.
With a wistful expression, Kingpin said:
"He always thought I was a bad man. But he was too young to understand that adults have many things they must do, things they have no choice but to do."
Mark nodded. "In your world, you can't survive without fighting. That's how it is."
"You can't survive without fighting..."
Kingpin repeated those words, and a light gradually returned to his despondent eyes.
"Ha ha ha! Very good, kid. What's your name?" He seemed to have made a decision.
"Mark Parker."
"Excellent. Mark Parker, become my son!"
Kingpin rose, his gaze burning with fervor.
"Become my son, and one day my entire underground empire will be yours. You'll have everything!"
Mark: "!!!!"
A moment later, Mark jumped onto the table in a fury, pointed right at Kingpin's nose, and shouted.
"I'm your dad!"
Kingpin: "..."